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7 (No Model.) E.H.PEOK,

I I LATCH.

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EUGENE H. PECK, CF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO AUGUSTUS H. JONES,OF SAME PLACE.

LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,133, dated October30, 1888.

Application filed April 16, 1888. Serial No. 270,850. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EUGENE H. Pack, of Meriden,in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, haveinvented a new Improve- 5 ment inDouble-Acting Latches; and I do hereby declare the following,when takenin connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of referencemarked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,and

[ which said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in

Figure 1, a perspective view of the latch complete,- Fig. 2, a verticalcentral section of the same; Fig. 3, a vertical central section showingthe spring and ball as introduced and before the edge of the case isclosed upon the ball; Fig. 4, an open-end view of the case before theball is inserted; Fig. 5, the application of the latch to door; Fig. 6,a modification in the case-support for the spring, all the figuresenlarged.

This invention relates to an improvement in the construction of thatclass of latches which are designed for doors of furniture, the office 2of the latch being to hold the door in the closed position, yet yield toa pull upon the door, as in opening, without any direct action upon thelatch, so that the latch is automatic both in engaging and disengaging.The nose of the latch is usually made of spherical or other shape, whichwill permit it to ride into the keeper or escape therefrom by a push orpull of the door accordingly, and the invention relates particularly tothe latches of this char- 5 actor in which the bolt is in the form of asphere or ball, the object being a very simple and cheap construction.I,

In the best construction of my improved latch the case A is made ofcylindrical cup shape, screw-threaded upon its outside,as represented inFigs. 1, 2, and 3. Within the case a spiral spring, B,is set against theclosed end of the case, and is of a diameter somewhat less than theinternal diameter of the case.

C represents the ball-shaped bolt, which is of a diameter slightly lessthan the internal diameter of the case, but larger than the internaldiameter of the spiral spring B. The spring is first set into the casethrough the open end, and then the bolt C is placed inthe open end ofthe case, and so as to set into the last convolution of the spring as aseat, as represented in Fig. 3. This done, the ball is forced into thecase until its axis is inside the edge a of the case. Then the edge ofthe case 5 is spun or struck down around the ball onto its smallerdiameter, as represented in Fig. 2, and so as to reduce the diameter ofthe open end of the case to less than the diameter ofthe ball at itsaxis. The spring bears the ball outward, so that it rests upon the seatformed by the turned-in edge of the case, and the spring itselfsurrounds the ball, so as to form the seat for the ball opposed to theturned-in edge of the case. 6

The latch is applied to the edge of a door, as seen in Fig. 5, Drepresenting the stile of the door, so that the protruding bolt projectsbeyond the edge of the door. In the jamb' E a keeper,F,is set, forming acavity correspond- 7o ing to the protruding bolt, so that force appliedto either open or close the door will cause the bolt to be forced intothe case, compressing the spring in so doing, until the bolt may escapefrom the keeper in opening, or so 7 as to pass into the keeper inclosing.

Broadly considered, this character of latch is old and does notrequireparticular description as to its operation. It is applicable to allpurposes for which this class of latches is used, and by its'outerscrew-thread is conveniently secured and made adjustable, so that it maybe unscrewed from thejamb to give a greater projection as the doorshrinks.

\Vhile Iprefer to make the case A of cup 8 shape and closed as a bearingfor the spring, the case may be of tubular shape, as represented in Fig.6, and the end of the spring secured to the walls of the case by solder,as at b, or otherwise, it only being essential that the 0 spring shallbe firmly supported in the case as a yielding resistance for the bolt.By seating the bolt in the outer convolution of the spring the surfacebearing upon the bolt is very slight. Consequently the ball will rollfreely 5 in its movement into or from the keeper and the followerusually employed between the bolt and spring in this class of latches isavoided. Consequently the cost of the latch is materially reduced. :00

I claim The combination of the cylindrical case A, closed at one end andsercw-threaded upon its outside, the spiral spring B upon the inside of5 the case, one end of the spring seated against the closed end of thecase, the ball 0, of a diameter substantially that of the internaldiameter oi the enso,but larger than the internal diameter of saidspring B, the said ball seated in the outer convolution of saidspring,and the 10 case at the open edge closed over the ball outside itsaxis, substantially as described.

EUGENE H. PEOK. Witnesses:

JOHN E. EARLE, FRED O. Emmi.

